Scott Dalton’s return made it obvious she had just been seriously ill. Her face was pale, and she seemed listless, not as bright as she used to be. During the break between classes, David Bennett walked over and sat next to Scott Dalton for the first time, asking if Scott Dalton was feeling better. Scott Dalton pressed her lips together, stared straight at him, and then said something David Bennett never expected: “Did you miss me these past few days?”

At dinner, Scott Dalton’s two close girlfriends invited Scott Dalton out for a nice meal. On the way, they ran into Henry Jordan and David Bennett, and called out for David Bennett to join them. David Bennett quickly estimated the cost and agreed with a smile. On the way, they bumped into Dylan Gordon, who hadn’t eaten yet, and David Bennett took the initiative to invite Dylan Gordon along. That made three guys and three girls—just the right number.

Before eating, the two girls insisted that David Bennett and Scott Dalton sit together. At first, David Bennett didn’t agree, but Henry Jordan chimed in, “That’s how it should be. If you two don’t sit together, none of us will enjoy our meal.”

So, at a square table, with one side against the wall, David Bennett and Scott Dalton sat on one side, the two girls on another, and Henry Jordan and Dylan Gordon on the third.

After the dishes arrived, the two girls took it upon themselves to secretly order three bottles of beer from the waiter. Scott Dalton said she still had to go back to school later, but as Dylan Gordon opened the beer, he said, “It’s fine, the college entrance exam is in just over ten days—who cares anymore?”

By the end of the meal, they had finished six bottles of beer. David Bennett only let Scott Dalton take a sip from the first glass; for the rest, he drank them all for her, using the excuse that she had just recovered and that alcohol might react with her medication. Every time David Bennett drank for Scott Dalton, the two girls at the table would look at him with sparkling eyes.

During the meal, David Bennett kept observing his classmates and made quite a few new discoveries.

Both girls were very socially adept.

The most lively at the table was Dylan Gordon; he single-handedly set the mood for the whole group and managed it well.

What surprised David Bennett most was Henry Jordan. Maybe it was the alcohol, but Henry Jordan was quite relaxed that day. He didn’t say much, but no matter who spoke at the table, he could always respond appropriately, hitting the nail on the head and making everyone feel like “this is a true friend.”

Near the end of the meal, David Bennett used the excuse of going to the restroom to try to pay the bill, but as soon as he stood up, Henry Jordan stopped him, pushed him back into his seat, and said, “Today is Scott Dalton’s return, so this meal is on me. Next time, it’s your turn.”

The two girls stood up when they heard this, saying it was supposed to be their treat for Scott Dalton, but Henry Jordan waved his hand, “Don’t argue with me, this one’s on me.”

David Bennett immediately realized he had underestimated Henry Jordan before.

This guy, not even twenty yet, was actually quite remarkable.

It’s just that, searching through all his memories from his previous life, he couldn’t recall a single thing about what happened to Henry Jordan later. But that was normal—apart from being classmates, they had no real connection and didn’t pay attention to each other.

After this meal, the six of them naturally formed a small circle.

In the days that followed, the six took turns treating everyone to meals, each time having a little to drink. On the sixth day, when it was supposed to be Scott Dalton’s turn, the homeroom teacher suddenly reminded the class, “If you’ve been drinking, you can go home—don’t come to the classroom and affect the other students.” That finally put an end to their gatherings.

On the evening of July 1st, after self-study, David Bennett returned home to find his mom knitting and waiting for him. When he came in, she took his backpack and asked how the food at school was at lunch and dinner, then went to the kitchen to make him something to eat.

When Mrs. Bennett brought over the fried egg and milk, David Bennett said seriously, “Mom, I have something I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it? Go ahead!” Mrs. Bennett sat on the bed, looking at David Bennett as he turned to sit on the chair.

“I want to borrow 1,500 yuan from you.” David Bennett emphasized the word “borrow” as much as possible, but Mrs. Bennett automatically ignored it.

“What do you need so much money for? Even if you buy books or practice tests, it wouldn’t cost that much.”

“I really need it, and I’m not doing anything bad, I promise. I’ll pay you back by this time next year, or at the latest by the end of this year.”

“No. If you don’t tell me what it’s for, I won’t give it to you. For that much money, I have to discuss it with your dad.” Mrs. Bennett was very firm.

“Mom, I really need it!” David Bennett pleaded as much as he could.

“No! Finish eating and go to bed early.” With that, Mrs. Bennett went back to her room.

What to do? What to do? 1,500 yuan had stumped David Bennett.

Borrow from relatives? No way. For that much money, any relative would talk to his parents first. Go out and earn it? Even less likely—not only was time too tight, but he really had no idea what he could do to make money right now.

This problem troubled David Bennett all the way until July 3rd.

During the third period on the morning of the 3rd, the homeroom teacher came to the class to hand out admission tickets. The college entrance exam everyone had talked about countless times was really right in front of them now.

The teacher called out each name, and the student would go up to get their admission ticket, while the teacher also read out the exam location and seat number.

The classroom was extremely quiet; everyone strained their ears to hear the teacher call the names.

The homeroom teacher read out:

“Evan Thompson! Exam location: City No. 1 High School, Exam Room 3, Seat 5.”

“Paul Duke! City No. 1 High School, Exam Room 11, Seat 1.”

“Charles Mason! City No. 3 High School, Exam Room 1, Seat 15.”

...

When he heard he was seat 1, Paul Duke’s face immediately fell. After discussing it for a while, Charles Mason realized he was probably in the first row too, and he looked deflated.